Trying to cut down on sugar.

lisabobczuk

I have to much sugar! Like 6-8 cups of tea with 2 sugars in each.
I know it's bad for you having to much.
I'm trying to cut down on the white stuff but struggling with ideas for meals.
What I'm asking for, is help in things to eat.
Really appreciate your ideas.
Thankyou :-)

serindipte

Are you opposed to artificial sweeteners?

AllOutof_Bubblegum

There's nothing wrong with "the white stuff". All food is food, some just should be eaten in smaller doses than others.

You are asking for help in things to eat, but that's a pretty broad request. What specifically do you need help with? There are thousands of food ideas out there, but you didn't say anything about your personal tastes, preferences, allergies, dietary restrictions, fitness goals, so it's hard to find a starting point with no info.

lisabobczuk

Hi.
I have no dietary requirements or preferences.
I guess I'm looking at the best options that aren't laden with sugar.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I have about 45lb to lose and I'm very wobbly if you know what I mean :-) carry a lot of weight on my middle and legs.

lisabobczuk

serindipte wrote: »

Are you opposed to artificial sweeteners?

Are sweeteners ok to take?

kommodevaran

You can eat anything you want. Foods aren't normally full of sugar. Just google breakfast, lunch and dinner (+recipe), and you'll see.

MarziPanda95

lisabobczuk wrote: »

serindipte wrote: »

Are you opposed to artificial sweeteners?

Are sweeteners ok to take?

Yes. I used to have 5 or 6 sugars in my tea (yes, I'm a heathen) which was almost 100 calories just for a cup of tea (no milk). I swapped it out for sweetener and now my tea is only 25 calories per cup with the same sweetness.

cmtigger

The one issue with sugar is that it adds a lot of calories in a little bit of food. If you want to cut it back, go ahead. You can eat more within your calories with less. But it's not bad to have some.
Can you learn to like less in your tea? I'm guilty of a lot in my coffee too.

Most non processed foods don't have a lot of sugar. I just had an egg for breakfast- not much sugar. I snack on veggies and cheese when I'm thinking.

LeeBGoode

Do you like to cook? The further away you can get away from manufactured foods the better. Sugar is in most manufactured food because it just makes everything taste better. Breakfast tends to be the most sugar laden meal. I would look at what your usual meals are and ask yourself how to upgrade it. What is your usual breakfast?

lisabobczuk

I read that per 100g the sugars are best to be below 5.0g! am I correct in saying this?
I actually am a chef by trade.
I have been doing my research and noticed that they say a breakfast high in protein is best to keep you fuller for longer.
I guess I just want a nod to say I'm doing this right.
I'm nearly 42 and sick to the back teeth of being overweight and just desperately want to get rid of this excess.

serindipte

I lost 50lbs drinking diet sodas or Crystal Light type drinks. If I were you, I'd swap over to a different sweetener for your tea and save your calories for food. I hate to drink my calories when I can eat something instead, so go with zero calorie drinks.

LeeBGoode

Being a chef is a huge advantage, that's awesome! To be honest, I don't pay attention too much to the specific statistics, mostly because they vary widely based on who is funding the study. Is some sugar in the diet okay? I think we can all agree that it is. So how much is too much? The World Health Organization recommends no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day. I find this a good goal to shoot for and also challenging. You are getting 12-16 teaspoons just from your tea each day, which is between 192-256 calories.

I think any reduction you are making is awesome. Most people tend to find a mix of protein and fiber pretty filling. Everybody varies in what feels best. I am very active, and need a fair bit of carbs or I get pretty irritable. Other people thrive on low carb. Keep experimenting with different ratios until you find what clicks for you.

Do you exercise at all?

lisabobczuk

Wow when you put it like that, that is unbelievable! What a waste of calories!!!
That is a really good guideline to go by and Thankyou I really appreciate your input.
I'm going to go cold turkey and not have sugar in my tea for starters.

lisabobczuk

I do exercise.
I joined a gym called callisthenics because my 11 year old daughter can come with me also.
It's all based on balance and strength.
She loves it.
I also walk my dogs 4 miles a day.

snickerscharlie

lisabobczuk wrote: »

Wow when you put it like that, that is unbelievable! What a waste of calories!!!
That is a really good guideline to go by and Thankyou I really appreciate your input.
I'm going to go cold turkey and not have sugar in my tea for starters.

If going cold turkey works for you, good on ya!

When I wanted to cut down the sugar in my coffee (2 tsps) when I first started, I found doing so gradually was a much nicer experience. Just the thought of having a cup with no sugar at all simply wasn't going to fly.

So instead, for the first week, I had my coffee with 1 sugar and 1 packet of Stevia. Tasted a bit odd for the first few days, but I quickly got used to it.

Then the second week, I omitted the sugar entirely and used 2 Stevia instead.

It was actually pretty darned easy, and a great way to cut down on my sugar consumption while still enjoying something I love.

Because a morning without coffee simply isn't worth getting out of bed for.

Edited to add: As my tastes changed, I found that I'm now perfectly happy having my cup of coffee with only one Stevia.

GottaBurnEmAll

I use liquid sucralose. It's truly zero calorie. There's nothing wrong with artificial sweeteners if you want something sweet. I get mine from Amazon.

You'll see when you start logging all your food where you can start making smarter calorie choices and discover what things are worth the calories to you and what aren't.

Read the forum stickies and you'll be on your way in no time!

lisabobczuk

I really don't think I could do it with coffee

bobbinseed

Can you sub out the sugar in your tea for honey? I realize honey has sugar but it also helps with allergens. Eat fruits for a "sweet", natural sugar is better than sweeteners though. Artificial sweeteners have been linked to problems with health. My friend used to be a diet coke junkie and started getting sick. She had symptoms of MS, her doctor said it was due to the aspartame in her diet coke. She gave up the coke and within a month she felt fine.

lisabobczuk

I really appreciate all your comments! Thankyou xx

snickerscharlie

bobbinseed wrote: »

Can you sub out the sugar in your tea for honey? I realize honey has sugar but it also helps with allergens. Eat fruits for a "sweet", natural sugar is better than sweeteners though. Artificial sweeteners have been linked to problems with health. My friend used to be a diet coke junkie and started getting sick. She had symptoms of MS, her doctor said it was due to the aspartame in her diet coke. She gave up the coke and within a month she felt fine.

Sugar is sugar. Whether it's from fruit, honey or a teaspoon of it in your coffee/tea. Substituting one for the other will make no appreciable difference from a caloric standpoint, and is therefore not beneficial in a calorie reduction scenario.

And as to aspartame, here is a great thread on this very subject:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1

I do understand that, like your friend, some people are sensitive to aspartame. I have a friend with a deadly peanut allergy. So, I could say that peanut butter has been linked to problems with health, too. But does that make peanut butter 'unhealthy' for everyone? No, of course not.

kommodevaran

lisabobczuk wrote: »

I read that per 100g the sugars are best to be below 5.0g! am I correct in saying this?

I think I have read it too, but it really makes no sense. Per 100 grams of what? Any food? All the food you eat in a day? Makes no sense. Limit on sugar doesn't even make sense. It's just a proxy for "Eat a nutritious diet. Get in a wide variety of foods - meat, fish, eggs, grains, pulses, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, fats and dairy - but not too much of anything (not too many calories totally)".